Concretehas been used in construction for almost 3,000 years, it is THE most versatile building material on the planet, it’s also the least green. Our use of concrete in building is beyond extensive, by weight you’d need every other building material combined, then doubled to get even close to our reliance on this versatile composite.

The next most-used substance on the planet is water, of which concrete also consumes an unhealthy amount of.

The main component of concrete is cement, the manufacture of which is one of the major contributors of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. Cutting back on our use of cement and concrete is a hardship, the stuff is tough and relatively cheap compared with alternatives.

Recycling concrete is becoming much more common, in of itself however, it’s not such a green practice. Concrete demolition usually ends up with as much discarded landfill as recyclables, once concrete reaches the recycling yard it’s reprocessing takes almost as much energy as making the stuff from scratch.

Imagine a machine, a robot that could recycle concrete structures without all the heavy machinery, a single deconstruction process. World meet Omer Haciomeroglu’s ERO Concrete De-construction Robot ::::

Factoid: 20 percent of landfill is concrete based waste.

ERO is only a concept at the moment, but the principles for the Concrete Deconstruction Robot are clues to the near future of demolition and recycling possibilities.

Omer Haciomeroglu’s concept replaces several pieces of heavy machinery, it erases buildings a section and layer at a time. The ERO’s would be deployed on site, moving about on it’s clever omnidirectional tracks – developed by Osaka University – like a crab. Haciomeroglu says the tracks allow ERO a freedom of not only movement, but also simplify the mechanics and loses the need for heavy hydraulic stabilizers.

“The challenge with this project was to separate materials at the same time as de-construction.” Haciomeroglu said. “Concrete is usually reinforced with a metal mesh inside. Current techniques tend to pulverize with brute force which creates a lot of dust and uses a lot of energy. The main goal of the ERO project was to provide a smart, sustainable near future approach to the demolition operations that will allow recycling as much as possible.”

As well as saving the planet, the other side of ERO is cost saving, demolishing a building often costs as much as erecting the one pegged to take it’s place. ERO is designed to deconstruct efficiently, losing the need for multiple material separators, the robots separates all of the buildings materials via Hydro/Centrifugal Decanter.

High pressure water is jetted against the surface to scarify the concrete, leaving the reinforcing steel intact. The Centrifugal Decanter then spins the slurry at speed, separating the materials from water, which is recycled through the system.

“This project is an excellent solution for the complexity of today’s demolition techniques which consumes a lot of energy to create a lot of waste.” Haciomeroglu said. “Around the world, concrete structures are being demolished to make way for new concrete structures every day, ERO simply turns Waste into Asset.”

Strategically placed in a building ERO would scan the environment, determine the optimal route of operation and execute the demolition with no human intervention. The robot – or team of robots – cleverly switches between pulverizing and smart deconstruction modes, tearing buildings down layer by layer. The robots are also super power efficient, with it’s own hydro-electric generator.

“The packaging unit provides the system with vacuum suction and electrical power, turbulence dynamos placed within the air suction route also produce power.” Haciomeroglu said. “ERO uses less than what it gets, nothing is land filled or sent away for external processing.”

Is this the best looking fence ever!? I think so, tucked away in the narrow side streets of St Kilda – my hometown, Melbourne – this gem of a fence would look right at home on a beach, the whited out workers cottage will have to do though :: Read the full article »»»»

RELATED! Apartment Demand Set to Skyrocket as Baby Boomers Fight Off Gen Y For Lifestyle and Space

One of the most significant social changes in the past 30 years has been our aging population, over the coming decades this aging will polarize, affecting not only the lifestyle choices of the greying population, but the economy of successive generations as well. As Baby Boomers seek to downsize responsibility, are they biting at chunks of the property market also sought-out by Gen Y?

A decade ago a house on a quarter acre block might have been the dream lived out by the average Aussie Baby Boomer, but new research suggests they are increasingly looking at apartment living, the same corner of the market chased by their grandchildren.

Policy-makers, planners and developers need to get creative as two generations converge on the same portion of an already under-stress property market.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics – ABS – projects that population growth will see an even higher demand on housing, the converging generations – Baby Boomer vs Gen Y – has the potential to kick-start a steep rise in apartment prices unless developers start planning for seriously increased demand :: Read the full article »»»»

Windows are more than just a way to look at the outside world – these days, there are windows that insulate, windows that shade, windows that dampen noise or resist the attack of fire, or even clean themselves.

Yes folks, there are even windows I’ve seen that can be opaque and then instantly transform to clear at the flick of a switch. I’ve seen them in a glass wall for a home office – one minute you can check on the kids and the next you can block them out.

It sounds like science fiction. But glazing technology is now amazing. Performance glass, as it tends to be known, comprises a range of technologically sophisticated glasses. There are laminated glasses that have a thin layer of plastic sandwiched between two panels of clear glass.

There are toned glasses with a colour tint worked through the material. And there are coated glasses, in which ultra-thin films of a secondary material create certain useful reactions :: Read the full article »»»»